GEORGETOWN — Their two-goal lead had been sliced in half, and what appeared to be a leisurely stroll to a coronation suddenly turned into a frenetic final five minutes.

For the Boerne Champion Chargers, the waning moments of Saturday's 2-1 victory against Kilgore in the Class 4A state final mirrored so much of their brief history.

Since 2009, no Greater San Antonio area boys soccer team has been as dominant as the Chargers. And perhaps no team has endured as much heartbreak.

Despite a 50-3-8 record during the previous two seasons, despite the district championships and winning the prestigious Brenham Showcase in 2010, Champion was seemingly defined by its struggle to reach the top.

An unbeaten 2010 season ended with an unfathomable 6-1 setback against Dripping Springs in the regional quarterfinals. Another stellar season in 2009 concluded with a 2-1 loss in the regional final against Hidalgo.

But Saturday at Birkelbach Field, those shortcomings were forgotten.

Champion (29-3-1) finally had that elusive state title.

“We've been knocking on the door for three years,” Champion senior goalkeeper Kyle Bullard said. “It hurt, because we were so close. We were tired of that, and we said, ‘We're going to win state.' We made this the goal from the very beginning.

“Everybody stepped up and just did their job. This is the outcome.”

The journey to this moment started in January with an expectation that winning a state championship was the only acceptable conclusion.

Nothing was going to stop the team from attaining its goal. Not injuries, the weather or officiating.

“We weren't going to let anything deny us,” Champion coach David Rogers said. “They were determined. They were more focused this year.”

With 10 starting seniors leading the way, the Chargers saved their best for when it mattered most — the postseason — outscoring their opponents 29-4.

“I knew from the beginning that this team had it,” said Bryce Barry, a senior midfielder who transferred from Smithson Valley and was the MVP of the championship game. “It doesn't matter about my play or anyone else's play, it's about this championship. That's all that matters.”